Leafy's Dreams
by LeafyDream
Summary: In honor of NaNoWriMo, a collection of random stories from the simple mind of a simpleton known as LeafyDream. Stories ranging from funny, to sad, to dramatic, to action-packed, starring various characters and couples. Chapter 5: Ruby has multiple personalities. Their names are Blake, Yang, and Weiss.
1. Jaune Arc: Man of Tomorrow

Genre: Action/Drama/Romance

Pitch: Jaune Arc has Superman's powers, but just because he's powerful doesn't mean his life's gotten any easier.

Pairing: Jaune/Ruby

Word Count: 5540

 **Jaune Arc: Man of Tomorrow**

 **If you could hear everything, would you even want to? When I say everything, I mean everything. Birds singing in Vale, chirping a song of their own. The shaking of the earth as an earthquake rocks Vacuo. The sound of someone stepping on snow and crushing it under their boot in Atlas. The sound of someone telling their girlfriend that they love them, and that they want to spend the rest of their life with her in Mistral. The laughter of a child as her parents watch her play in the morning sun...**

 **What if you could hear everything else though? The good and the bad? The roar of a Grimm as it tears apart a village miles away from you? The skipped beat as someone is told they only have a few months left to live? The sound of the White Fang tying men and women, even children up, and burning them alive? The crackle of their flesh as fire turns their skin black and brittle and...**

The passage above is scribbled out, aggressively, until it is almost impossible to read. A new passage begins.

 **What if you could hear everything? See everything? What if you were a God?**

 **That's what they call me. God is one of my nicer titles, I guess, but I know I don't deserve it. I'm not God. I'm not. I know I'm not, because I can't do everything. I can't cure someone's disease. I can't stop the child from crying because her parents are fighting for the fifteenth time. I hear these things, and I want to fix them, but I can't. All I can do is break stuff.**

 **Even with all the power in the world, all I'm good for is ruining everything...**

 **Least I can take pride in the fact that I can do something right...**

"Hey, Jaune, you got that firewood yet?" Ruby asked. Jaune could hear her down the mountain, having finally returned from the nearby lake with Nora by her side.

The blonde knight put away his journal and stood up. He looked around him for a brief moment, nodding his head and silently counting off the branches he'd need, He took a deep breath, and in an instant he shot off the ground and into the air. He shot through the air like a bullet, plucking branches and fallen sticks in a moment's breath.

 _I think I'm finally getting used to this flying thing,_ he grinned, proudly. He turned in the air, only to bank to far left. _Uh oh!_ There was a loud crash as he slammed his shoulder into the bulk of a tall tree. He was fine, but his shoulder armor was dented once more, and he could feel the tree buckle under the sudden force. For a moment, he hoped it wouldn't topple. Of course, that hope was dashed.

"Jaune? We just heard a tree fall. Was that you?"

"Probably," laughed Nora. "Jaune - six, trees - zero."

"Sorry!" he shouted, more on reflex than anything else. Ruby and Nora wouldn't be able to hear him from where he was, but he couldn't help but feel the need to apologize. The tree laid on the ground, dirt kicked up and leaves littering the forest floor. "Man..." A brief glance towards his arms only doubled his frustration. The firewood he had collected had snapped under the tremendous pressure of his arms. "Darn it..."

* * *

"Think Jaune's okay?" Ruby wondered, sitting by the pit that would become their fire.

"Y'know he can hear you, right?" Nora beamed. "Hey, Jaune, shoot some of those laser eyes if you're okay. Don't shoot them if you're not." There was a pregnant pause, before the two girls saw a beam of scarlet energy shoot into the air a few miles away from them. Like a flare it shot towards the air, but it never came down. It just flew higher and higher, until neither could see it as anymore than a crimson star in the dusk sky. "There you go."

Ruby did not look so convinced. She reached into her pocket and plucked her scroll from within. She began to type onto it, before handing the white device to Nora. She took it and opened her mouth to read aloud, only for it to be covered shut by the younger girl. Ruby brought a single finger to her lip, motioning for Nora to be silent as she read.

 **I'm serious. Ever since this whole thing's started, he's been acting weird. He's been acting closed off and distant and I dunno. I'm worried about him. Just cause he can't feel anything, doesn't mean he can't feel anything.**

Ruby tapped her chest, pointing at her heart. Nora's trademark grin had faded away at this point. She started a new paragraph on the scroll and began to type on it, letting Ruby hang over her shoulder to read as she wrote.

 **Yeah, okay, You're probably right. Maybe you should talk to him? :)** Ruby's eyes widened and she pointed at herself, staring at Nora with disbelief in her silver eyes. Nora grinned and typed up her reply with a knowing smile. **Jaune likes you the most. He opens up with you easier than he does Ren or I . Just get him alone and try talking to him.**

Ruby's eyes scanned over the words, and as much as she wanted to argue, Nora's arguement made sense. With a small sigh, she nodded her head and took back her scroll. Perfect timing too, as they could both hear the rush of wind as the blonde-haired bullet began to shoot towards them. It was still hard to believe for the young huntress-in-trainning. Seeing her best friend, the one she had always called Vomit Boy, the one who tripped over his own feet when he was walking, soaring through the air like a Nevermore was still a sight to behold...

He began to slow down as he heard the two, but a slight gust of wind still pushed at Ruby and Nora as he began to land. Jaune had once tried to describe the act of flying to Ruby. In his own words, 'going in a straight line is easy. Turning, stopping, and landing were the hard parts.' He landed on the ground on trembling legs, holding the firewood in his arms. His armor, Ruby noticed, was dented in several areas.

"Hey there, Super-Jaune!" Nora greeted.

"Hey, Nora. Hey, Rubes. Ren not back yet?" he asked, placing the wood down. He tried to speak as casually as he could, an attempt that made Ruby smile. That, and a couple other things...

"Hey, Jaune." He turned his head to her as she motioned to her own face. "You kinda got something..."

"What? Is it my hair? Flying always messes it up...! How bad is it?" he sighed, combing his fingers through the mess his hair had turned into.

"Well, yes, but it's not that. You kind of have something on your face."

"Huh? Where? What?"

"I think it was a bug," Nora suggested.

"B-b-bug? Jaune touched his cheek and immediately felt a rush of nausea at the sticky, slimey substance he felt on his cheek. "Oh, gross! Ew! Gah!"

Ruby giggled at her friend's behavior, trying to contain the laughter with her hand. It failed, of course, but she gave herself points for trying. Jaune had flew off to his backpack, pulling out a napkin and rubbing it against his skin, wiping away the guts and remains of the once large insect. "Ren's still picking up supplies in the village."

"Yep." Nora nodded her head, before grinning again. "Don't suppose you wanna use that Super-Jaune-o Vision to tell us how he's doing, do ya?"

To Nora, Jaune probably seemed fine with the idea, but Ruby could see the slight hesitation in face. It only lasted for a moment, maybe half of one, but Ruby knew how to read her best friend. But all Nora saw was a friendly smile and nod as Jaune replied, "Sure thing, Nora. Which way was the village again?"

"That-a-way!"

He followed her pointed finger and Ruby watched as he used his powers. She didn't see any difference to his body. His eyes didn't glow red and his stance wasn't different, but she knew he was using them. His stare was unblinking as he stared at a village miles away from them, before finally speaking to them. "I think he's talking to one of the shopkeepers."

"Oooh. Haggling. Getting us those good prices. Nice one, Ren!" beamed the ginger. "How's he doing? Can you tell what he's saying?!"

"Um... Well, I could-"

"That's okay, Jaune." Ruby stepped forward, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Let's just get the fire started and rest. Ren probably wouldn't like us spying on him."

"Yeah... Okay."

"Awww..."

Jaune picked up some of the firewood and tossed it into onto the pit where the fire would be. Instead of trying to start the fire with a match, Jaune took a deep breath and glared at the pile of wood. Before, Ruby and Nora would have thought their friend was losing his mind. Now, Nora was practically jumping in place with excitement, and Ruby couldn't help but watch with amazement.

Red beams of heat and energy shot from Jaune's cerulean eyes, reducing the pile of wood to ashes in a moment. "Dang it," he growled, brushing the ash off the ground with his hand.

"Maybe just do it the old fashion way?" suggested Ruby, taking a lighter out from his backpack.

"Huh? Yeah... Sorry."

"No problem, Jaune. Don't worry about it."

* * *

 **Ren thinks keeping a journal with me will help. I'm lucky it didn't get ruined when I was flying around, crashing into trees.**

 **I don't know how I can do anything I can do. We've tried testing my limits, and so far... I don't think I have any. I fly fast. Really fast. But I know it isn't my limit. It's just how fast I can go without crashing...** Jaune crossed the words out, sighing as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. The pencil shattered between his fingers, reduced to splinters at his feet. "Damn it..."

Jaune picked up another pencil from his backpack, and with a gentle sigh, began to write again. **I'm really bad at flying. I have a hard time NOT crashing. In fact, I'm controlling all of my powers, which is... awful. I remember the first time Ruby saw me after Pyrrha died... She hugged me, and I hugged her back. If I tried hugging her now, I'd probably kill her...**

 **I can shoot lasers from my eyes. I... really don't know how, but I can. It was terrifying when I first did it. I nearly set the inn we were staying at on fire... We barely got everyone out in time before the inn came crashing down. Just another problem Jaune Arc is responsible for...**

 **Hell, I nearly tore down a tree by breathing too hard! What the hell is wrong with me?! I used to be too weak to be of any help, now I'm terrified if I even touch my friends, I'll kill them! Nothing I do is right, and eventually I'm going to get them killed... Like Py**

Jaune slammed the book shut, sighing as he rubbed his head again. He could hear a crack as the wooden pencil in his hand began to break apart. He snapped it in two without any effort, before picking up the pieces and throwing them into his backpack. "Damn it..."

"Jaune?"

"Huh?" He hadn't even heard Ruby. In a wave, it all came rushing into him, flowing through his body and echoing through his every cell. It was almost overwhelming, to be honest. He could hear Ruby's voice, her heartbeat, the ambient racket of the surrounding forest, it all rushed into him like a wave. "Ow," he grunted, rubbing his head.

"You okay?" she asked, walking towards him and sitting by his side on the soft, emerald-green grass.

"Y-yeah... Sorry. Just a lot of noise," he sighed. "What's up, Rubes?" He tried to smile at her, but despite all of his strength, he couldn't muster a real smile. Ruby didn't buy it for a moment as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Jaune, you can talk to me... I'm worried about you," she admitted.

"Come on, Rubes. You don't have to be worried about me. I'm invulnerable," he grinned, pounding his fist against his armorless chest. "Super-Jaune, remember?"

"Jaune..."

"Ruby, I'm fine."

"You're not! Please, just talk to me..."

"There's nothing to talk about. Look, Ruby, I appreciate the offer, but I..."

Screaming.

Crying.

Blood crashing on the ground.

The sound of Stormflower firing, hot shells falling to the floor as her wielder's heartbeat raced...

Jaune's aqua eyes widened. He shot up from the ground, floating in the air for a moment, as he spun his head around. "Ren!"

"What? Jaune, what is it?!" Ruby could feel her body stiffen for a moment, looking around the area for any sign of trouble. She knew there was there was no way she could see what he did, but she still tried...

"The village Ren is in is underattack! There are Grimm tearing the village apart!" Jaune's pupils were little dots in his wide, terror-filled eyes. His hands tightened into fists as he shot towards his tent, ripping through the fabric to pick up his sword and shield. "We've got to help them!"

"You go ahead, I'll wake Nora and we'll grab our weapons!"

Jaune was about to suggest he'd carry the two girls, but he remembered the first batch of firewood he had picked up. His mind painted the nightmarish sight of Ruby's broken body in his arms. Another death he was at fault for... "R-right. You be careful, okay?"

"Right. You too!"

Jaune was about to tell her she didn't need to worry about him, but decided against it. He nodded his head, before turning into a blur and shooting off towards the village, sword and shield in hand. He didn't bother picking up his armor. It was still dented, and had no practical use for him...

It was terrifying moving this fast the first time... Jaune remembered the feeling of his body tearing through a tree and being already a mile away by the time it hit the ground. He remembered how careful he had to be not to hit anyone. At the speed he was flying at, there'd be nothing left of the person. He had to take care not to create a sonic boom. Nearly killed his friends with his own stupidity...

It didn't take long to reach the village. Jaune made it within a couple of minutes, but the place was already in chaos. Fires engulfed entire buildings as people ran in terror from the Grimm. Beowolves and Ursas charged around, tearing down stone and wood, but aiming for flesh and bone. Jaune had to find Ren in this mess, but the sudden disarray and chaos brought with it all the sound one would expect...

He could hear the savage roar of the Beowolf as it broke down a door. He could hear a child cry out as his father was cut down by an Ursa. He could hear every heart of every freshly slain man, woman, and child stop. It was like the end of a performance. Every instrument, every sound, being cut down as the Grimm rampaged through the village.

"No!" he screamed, desperate to block out the sound of screaming as he lifted his sword. He swung it, cleaving an Ursa in half with one strike. He dashed forward, the toe boxes of his shoes grinding against the ground as he rammed his shield into another Grimm, ripping through it like a cannonball. "Ren!" The force of his voice seemed to push back an unprepared Beowolf, leaving it wide open to Jaune's blade cutting it in half.

Jaune could feel the air change as a gust of wind breezed against him. He looked up, scanning the air with darting, blue eyes, before seeing a terrifying sight. There was a flying Grimm in the night's horizon, basked in the moonlight. It was flying towards them, titanic, leather wings flapping as its' crimson eyes glowed. It was the second biggest Grimm Jaune had ever seen before, like the little cousin of the Grimm Dragon that...

"Ren!" Jaune felt an Ursa tackle him, but it only resulted in giving itself a concussion. He swung Crocea Mors against it, slicing it in two, before he heard a familiar sound. The 'band bang' of Stormflower, mixed with the thumping heart of his friend, he finally found it through the chaos. His grip tightened on the hilt of his sword as he charged forward, tearing through Grimm, sometimes running right through them.

"Help!" Jaune came to a skidding stop, silently swearing as he felt his shoes shred apart against the paved trail. "Damn it," he growled, turning his head. The scream came from a nearby building, what might have once been an inn, but was now just another home engulfed in flames. He glared at the walls of the building, his vision actually piercing through the stone and to the innocents inside.

 _There's someone in there...!_ Jaune quickly looked the building over, thankful of the fact that no one else was there. Then he caught the scent of burning skin from the building and he realized why he didn't find anyone else inside... He pushed the thoughts aside and focused himself, before he leaped into the air, soaring towards the building. "I really hope this works," he prayed as he closed his eyes. His body broken through the wall with ease and he fell onto the floor, rolling on it. "I'm here to help!" he shouted, holding his hands out to the young woman.

She shrieked at him, and he glanced towards his sword that he had accidentally pointed at her. "S-sorry!" He quickly turned his shield back into a sheath and placed his sword into it. "I'm here to help," he repeated.

"M-my leg," she whimpered, turning her head to the badly cut limb. It was pinned down by a large piece of splintered wood. To make matters worse, smoke and flame began to fill the room, the pyre slowly eating away at the walls, roof, and floor.

Jaune grabbed the broken piece of the roof and easily lifted it off of her, tossing it aside. "I'm going to get you out of here, okay?" The blonde knight reached down towards the young woman, picking her up in his arms. With one hand on her side, and the other holding her legs, Jaune ran for the hole he made in the wall.

"W-wait! What are you doing!?"

"Just trust me! Hang on!" And then Jaune jumped out of a burning building. _Please, don't crash. Please, don't crash. Please, don't crash!_ Jaune slowed down their fall, silently thanking his power of flight as they gently descended towards the earth. A beowolf saw the two of them, running at their with fangs stained in scarlet. It leaped off of the ground, swinging its' claws at the two of them. The woman screamed, but Jaune tried to block it all out as he turned his body.

It was almost like the sound of shattered glass. Jaune had never heard a Beowolf cry out in pain like that. He almost felt bad. He kicked the Grimm away, letting it bellow in pain as its' declawed hand bled ebony blood.

"You're okay, you're okay," he repeated. Jaune tried to look for a safe place to put the girl, but there was no safe place in this war-torn hellhole. There were only monsters and victims and-

He couldn't hear Stormflower anymore.

Ren's heart beat was erratic.

He could feel the earth shake as the giant Grimm landed.

Everyone could hear its' roar...

"Ren!" Jaune zoomed off again, dropping the girl off with a small group of survivors. He hoped they were going to be okay, but he couldn't devote his time to protecting them. He sped forward, finding his friend surrounded by Grimm, with the gigantic, wyvern-like Grimm watching them all like a tyrannical kind. "Get away from him!" In an instant, several Grimm were decapitated, dead in second.

 _That probably confused a lot of them..._ His friend laid on the ground, his green robes stained with his blood. The blood flowed from a nasty cut on his hip, spreading through his garb like a flood. "Ren, are you okay?!"

"Ugh... Bleeding."

"R-right. Okay. Don't worry, I'll get you out of this!" _How am I going to do that?!_

Jaune looked at the surrounding Grimm, each one waiting for the giant, alpha's command. The beast looked down at him with those inhuman, monstrous eyes. Jaune could feel his body turn cold as the monster seemed to breathe in all the heat of the village. It raised its' head as it held the breath, before he saw a orange-red glow come from its' throat. It radiated, building up as it moved its' head to fire.

"No!" He ran forward, and rather than use his shield, he used his own body to defend his fallen friend. He clapped his hand together, a trick he had learned after an unfortunate attempt to crush a gnat. His palms slammed together, and a shockwave went forth, blasting the wyvern back like it had been hit by an artillery shell. It seemed stunned, to Jaune's shock. "Whoa..." He looked at his own hands, marveled by his own strength. _Can't believe that worked..._

"Jaune!"

"Ren!"

Several pink explosions tore apart the surrounding Grimm, and a red blur cleaved a path through the horde. Jaune beamed as he saw the familiar silver eyes of his best friend, and the toothy grin of his teammate. "Ruby! Nora! Ren's hurt, you need to get him out of here!"

Nora was quick to obey the command, but Ruby had other plans. "We're not going to leave you!"

"The Grimm are all over the place! Ruby, you're the second fastest of us. I need you two get as many citizens together and protect them! Nora, once Ren is safe, take out as many Grimm you can with Ruby and get the people to safety!" he ordered, cutting his hand through the air for emphasis. He didn't mean for the simple movement to cause a gust of air. Thankfully, none of his friends were injured by it...

"I'm going to take on this Grimm. It's the strongest one. If I make it focus on me, it won't hurt attack the village or you! You guys can cut down the Beowolves and Ursas and then you can come help me!"

Memories of the Fall of Beacon raced in those silver eyes. Or maybe he just saw the reflection of his own. "Jaune..."

"Ruby, you need to trust-"

That thing was getting back up. They didn't have time to argue about this. They- Ruby shot like a bullet, slicing through another group of Grimm with Crescent Rose. Her blade gleamed with the ebony remains of her weapon, before she turned her head to Nora, who was helping the injured Ren up. "Let's go! Jaune's got this!" Her eyes met his and he swore he could hear her say, _"You better got this."  
_

 _Great. Now I can read minds,_ Jaune sighed.

The three were following his orders, running away from the giant wyvern and focusing on the people as Jaune stood his ground. The monster lifted its' lizard-like head, bony protrusions poking from its' head like horns. It let out a low, bone-shaking growl as its' mouth glowed with that similar red-orange hue. The knight glanced at his sword and shield and pulled it from his armor. He hugged the metal against his hoodie, taking a slow, deep breath... before gently placing them on the ground.

 _Time to stop fighting like the old Jaune..._

The wyvern screeched into the night, its' cry echoing out for miles, before it unleashed a torrent of flame from its' maw. The river of fire slammed into the top half of Jaune, scorching the earth around him. It wiped out the few remaining Grimm, reducing them, any nearby structure, to ashes.

That is, save for Jaune Arc. The boy's hoodie was burned to a crisp, but he was completely unharmed. His cerulean eyes narrowed and turned as red as the Grimm's. His frame smoke from the flames, yet were completely unblemished by the heat. The Grimm stared at him, watching him like a snake that had just bitten into a mouse, only to find the rodent was far stronger than it thought.

"Burn," he growled, before he unleashed his own wave of heat and fire. The Grimm's eyes widened as it was engulfed by the scarlet energy, letting out a bellow of agony as its' own flesh was seared and roasted. Jaune could feel his entire body tremble from the force. He had never just... let loose like this. The only thing he could do to make sure the forest behind the beast was reduced to ash was tilt his head slightly up. Anything caught with the beam was vaporized and reduced to nothingness...

At least, it was supposed to. The Wyvern suddenly lunged forward, and slammed a clawed hand into Jaune, pinning him onto the ground. Jaune could see what his burning gaze had done to the beast. Its' wings were melting away, dropping from the wyvern's body like burning teardrops. Its' skin was horribly burned and tiny embers seemed to seep from the sound as it struggled to hold him down.

Despite its' injuries, it summoned enough strength to try and fight back. An attempt that would fail. Jaune's arms were free from the pin and he lifted them up, bringing his fists down on a claw. Once again, he heard the sound of a Grimm's claws shatter, but this time it was louder, and the thundering shriek of agony was much louder.

 _Block it out,_ he told himself.

The creature lifted up its' bloody, declawed, hand. Jaune had to finish this fight. He took in a deep breath and held it, imagining an artic wasteland in his head. With the vision of a snow-covered plain in his head, he released the breath through pursued lips. The creature struggled, and it roared, but in the end it was fighting a losing battle. It went from burning, melting flesh to frozen, immobile skin. It let out one final cry of rage and resistance, but even that fell silent as its' body was encased in ice.

Jaune's body stood on shaky legs as he stared at the impromptu statue. He panted, his breath visible as if he had just stepped into the artic. With one final clap, the titanic monster shattered, reduced to bits and pieces by a single man...

* * *

Weiss didn't know what to expect when she saw the morning's paper. With the communication tower of Vale down, information seemed difficult to attain, but was this what the papers were reduced to? Making up tall tales? To try to create hope or mock the victims, she wasn't sure. All she knew was that it was utterly ridiculous.

She glanced at the photo, caught by someone's scroll, of the supposed deity. He lacked any sort of top, instead walking bare-chested. His hair was golden, illuminated byt the fires of the attacked village. His eyes were a glowing crimson, resembling more of a Grimm than any deity she had heard of. His body was toned, taut, but by no means inhumane. His body was of that of an average Huntsman, perhaps even below average, yet the paper swore up and down that this being was a deity sent from above.

The deity's face was frozen in the picture, trapped as an angry snarl as it vanquished Grimm. There was something almost familiar with his face, but Weiss shrugged it off. This supposed 'god' simply had one of those faces. More likely than not, this was some Huntsman trying to offer help to the helpless, using somekind of Semblance and advance weaponry to strike down the Grimm.

Nothing more, nothing less.

* * *

Ruby Rose found him on the outskirts of town, staring at his reflection in a river. He wore a plain, white t-shirt, his usual attire lost in the battle. He knew she was there, she assumed, but seemed to lost to his own self-loathing to acknowledge her. Of course, that wouldn't stop her.

"Hey, Jaune."

"..."

"You're the talk of the town, y'know. How you destroyed that Grimm. How you saved a bunch of people's lives... Pretty cool, huh?"

"I can hear them from here, Ruby. They're scared of me..." Jaune's fingers dug into the grass, ripping apart blades and pushing dirt between his nails. He threw the blades of grass into the water, lazily. "Even that girl I saved... I nearly killed her." He let out a bitter chuckle as she sat beside him. "I held her too tightly and broke a rib. I didn't even notice, I was so focused on saving Ren... I'm such an idiot."

"Jaune, stop it."

"Why do I even have these powers?! First, I'm not strong enough and Pyrhha dies because of it! Now I'm too strong and everyone thinks I'm as bad as the Grimm! I-" His voice died in his throat as Ruby's arms wrapped around his body. His aquamarine eyes widened at the embrace, but he didn't dare try to hug her back. How easily would it have been to kill her without even meaning to... "Ruby, stop. I'm just going to get you-"

"Stop it, Jaune. Stop it. You can't do this to yourself." Ruby pulled away, and Jaune silently mourned the lost of the warm, soft presence she held. She glared her silver eyes into his as she spoke. "You keep focusing on your mistake, on everything you think you do wrong. What about the good? I saw the girl! She's happy to be alive! She could have died in that fire, but all she got out of it was a bandaged up leg and a broken rib. Considering she could have lost her life, she knows she's lucky, and her family does too!"

Her words hit Jaune harder than anything the wyvern threw at him. His eyes fell to his lap, silently accepting her words. Accepting, but not believing.

"And what about Nora and Ren? Can't you hear them?"

Of course he could... Nora was laughing, cracking jokes about how Jaune's pants were nearly burned off, making up stories about how he fought an army of Grimm naked.

Ren smiled and nodded his head, his wound properly bandaged. He laid on a bed with silk sheets, his pillow freshly stuffed, and flowers by his bedside. The villagers knew he fought for them during the battle, nearly gave his life for them.

There was a plate of pancakes beside them, waiting on the nightstand. Nora had made them for Ren. By the smell Jaune caught, they were blueberry...

"You saved everyone, Jaune." And then there was Ruby. Jaune's blue eyes finally lifted up to meet her and he tried to say something. Words failed him as her soft, moonlight fingers dug between his. She squeezed his hand as hard as she could, and he could just barely feel them. They were so soft... and warm. Like her.

"Ruby...?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we just... stay here for a while?"

"Sure, Jaune." She smiled at him, and this time he gave her the same. It was small, and weak, like how he felt, but it was there and it was real. The two sat by the riverside together, the sounds of nature, of Nora's laughter, and Ruby's calm, steady heartbeat lulling the blonde knight to a well-earned sleep...

 **I don't know what's going to happen to me. I don't know where I got these powers from, whether they're my Semblance or something more. I don't know if I'll ever be able to control them...**

 **But at least I have my friends.**

 **Guess it isn't all bad being Jaune Arc :)**

 **END**

Sweet Oum... All this, in ONE NIGHT. I'm so tired.

So, this is the first story of my personal, NaNoWriMo challenge. I'm going to write a bunch of ideas down, not every day, but as often as I can. The stories will be of varying lengths and genres, ranging from action/dramas like this to more light-hearted fun stuff.

Some stories will only be a chapter long. Others are ideas that I want to make into full stories. Like this! I love Jaune Arc, and I love, love LOVE Superman. Now, I won't point fingers or name names, but I found another story with a similar premise and was not a fan of it, personally. That's why I wanted to make this story! To show Jaune Arc as a Superman-like figure, struggling with his powers and his own inner problems. Because just because Superman's all powerful doesn't mean he doesn't have flaws or inner demons.

Jaune's personal demons come from self-doubt and self-loathing, feelings only enhanced by his sudden rise in power. From the weakest hero, to one of the most powerful beings in Remnant, but just because he's strong doesn't mean he'll always win. I tried communicating that in the story, with Jaune's own inexperience and powers biting him in the butt, ranging from vaporizing firewood to breaking a poor girl's rib.

I hope you enjoyed the story, and please stick around for more tomorrow or the following day. Tell me what random ideas you like, or don't like, tell me what I got wrong, or got right. Tell me I'm nuts for trying to write so much.

Anyways, enough rambling from me. Enjoy your night and maybe leave a review? Drop a favorite, perhaps? Follow me? All up to you. Love you, reader, and take care!


	2. Love Me to Pieces

Genre: Romantic Drama

Pitch: Jaune Harem story with a twist!

Pairing: Jaune/Team RWBY

Words: 2650

 **Love Me to Pieces**

 _Febuary 14th, 2022_

Ren smiled at his second best friend, Jaune Arc, with a proud smile on his face. The typically stoic man was surprisingly jovial as he watched his best friend. "How do you feel?"

"Nervous. Sweaty. Faint. I think I smell like pineapples. Is that normal?"

"Yes. Yes. Yes. Probably not." Ren shook his head with a smile as he stepped closer to his friend, patting him on the back of his finely made tuxedo. "You're going to do fine. I'm sure she's as nervous as you are."

"I know Ruby is," he muttered. "It's the others I'm worried about..."

"I'm sorry?"

"Er, nothing. Hey, can you help me with this tie? I think I'm cutting off my air circulation." Jaune quickly grabbed the tie and tugged on a piece of the fabric, only for his eyes to widen as he suddenly gagged. "Ack! Help! Help!" Ren watched his friend scramble for a moment, before sighing.

"Fine, but you need to stop playing with it this time. You're almost as bad as Nora..."

 _November 2nd, 2016_

Jaune smiled as he walked into his and Ruby's apartment. He was tired, fatigued, and he reeked of pizza from his job, but it was over now. Now he could spend the next two days relaxing and kicking back with his amazing girlfriend. He tossed his delivery boy hat aside and began to unzip his jacket as entered their bedroom, finding his girlfriend asleep, sprawled out on their bed, laptop still humming beside her.

"Hey." He gently took the laptop off of the bed and placed it onto the carpet floor. His hand gently stroked Ruby's arm as he kissed her scarlet tips. "I love you." Her body shifted and mumbled something in a response, before her hand lazily rose up and touched his face. "Sleepy?"

Ruby mumbled something again, before he watched her body take a long, deep breath. She held it for a moment as he watched her, before releasing it when her eyes opened. Her silver eyes glittered with mischief as she suddenly pulled the blonde knight downwards, slamming her lips into his, locking them in a passionate embrace.

"Mmph!"

He was finally freed from the kiss, his cheeks burning scarlet as Ruby grinned at him. "Hey there, ladykiller." She rose up from the bed, stretching her body, no doubt intentionally teasing the blonde with the way her supple breasts bounced. Jaune was quick to avert his eyes as his younger girlfriend smirked. "Like what you see, honey?"

"Yang, quit it."

"Hey, look at you! Didn't even need me to introduce myself! You're getting more used to this, I see." Yang's smile wasn't like Ruby's. Yeah, it was the same face, same lips, same teeth, but... It was just different. Her eyes shined differently. Her teeth had more bite to them.

But it was just one of many things Jaune was getting used to.

"Is Ruby okay?"

"Ever the concerned boyfriend," she smiled. "Knew there was a reason I liked you, Arc." Yang stepped off the bed and stretched again, bending forward to touch her toes. Jaune couldn't see the mischievous smile on her face as she felt Ruby's pajama pants accent her fine ass. "Don't worry about Rubes, Jaune. She's fine. Just a long day at school."

"Oh. Okay."

"She's still napping, so I decided to take the driver seat. So, what's for dinner, ladykiller?" she asked, walking out of the bedroom.

"H-hey, wait up!" Jaune followed after his girlfriend, or rather, his girlfriend's body. He watched as Yang threw off Ruby's shirt and picked up a yellow one that hung from a nearby chair. _That's my shirt,_ he thought, turning scarlet as he watched the baggy, large shirt hung from her breasts. "Uh... Well, Ruby and I were going to have breakfast for dinner, but now..."

"Hey, we can still cook dinner. We share a body. If Ruby can do it, I can too," she smirked, walking back to Jaune with an excited grin. The young man seemed hesitant, before sighing.

"Alright, Yang. Let's get some eggs out. You can start cracking them while I get out the pancake mix."

 _June 14th, 2017_

Jaune woke up in the middle of the night to the feeling of a hand pushing against his chest and an elbow banging against his shoulder. He grunted in pain, suddenly thrown out of his sleep to the sight of Ruby's panicking face. He rose up from the bed, fighting the last traces of sleep from his body as he quickly moved to embrace his girlfriend of six years. "Ruby, what's wrong?! Are you-"

Her hand slapped against his face, leaving a blistering red mark on his cheek as tears welled up in her eyes. "Shut up, you bastard!" Her words struck Jaune like a knife, hurting him far more than her palm. "You... What did you do!?" It was now that the memories of earlier rushed back into him, like a flood washing and carrying him off.

Ruby and he had been having a good night. A great night. There was no reason to celebrate, no reason to be so happy, other than the two realized how happy they were. How happy the other made them... They were so caught up in their own happiness, the kisses they shared, the smiles the gave, they were high on one another...

They were young and in love, and in the heat of the moment they pushed things too far...

Weiss held her hands over Ruby's... over her own naked body. She was trembling. She was staring at Jaune with tearful, terrified eyes. "What... what did you do?!"

Of course Weiss would be horrified. After all, from her perspective, Jaune had practically raped her body. It didn't matter if it was Ruby's body, or if Ruby was the one who had sex with him. Weiss had woken up, naked, in the arms of a man she still struggled to trust. Her silver eyes widened as her heart raced, as her body quivered. She grabbed her head as she heaved, struggiling to breathe.

"Oh God... Oh my God..."

"Weiss, I'm so sorry! I- We-"

"Shut up! Shut up! I hate you!" She swung her hand at him again, but it was clumsy and inaccurate. She missed, but her words still hit their target.

Jaune knew it wasn't Ruby saying these things. He knew she would never say these things, but it was still Ruby's voice screaming at him. It was Ruby's hands that clawed and scratched at him. It was her silver eyes he saw turn red as she sobbed.

"Weiss..." She made a run for the door of their bedroom, trying to run from him, but his hand caught her hand, squeezing it to try and hold her. It worked, despite her writhing struggles to escape.

"Let go of me, Arc! LET GO!"

"Weiss, please! I'm sorry! You have to listen to me!" Jaune silently thanked Yang for pushing him to work out with her. It was only thanks to her and the hell she put him through that gave him the strength to hold onto Weiss.

"Why the hell should I listen to you?!" she shrieked, glaring at him with streams of tears falling down her face.

"Because I care about you. Because you running from this isn't going to make you feel better. You'll just be alone." His grip on her lessened. She had a chance to run, but she didn't. She just continued to shake in front of him. "Wake up, Ruby. We should talk..."

"Want me to go away now too?" she hissed, rubbing her free arm against her face.

"No. I mean, the three of us should talk..."

Weiss glared at him, her eyes as sharp and cold as icicles as she tore her arm from him. She was beginning to calm down, or at least she was trying to control her shaking. She didn't say anything as she squeezed her eyes shut, grinding her teeth together for a moment... Before all her stress and pain evaporated from her face. She looked at peace, as though she was sleeping on her feet.

"Ruby?"

"H-huh...?" She blinked once, twice, and Jaune saw the familiar glimmer of his girlfriend's eyes staring at him. "Jaune...? What am I...?"

"Ruby!" The dark-haired girl's face swerved left, so fast Jaune was scared Weiss had unintentionally hurt their body. "You... you... What have you done?! To yourself?! To us?! With him!?"

"W-Weiss?" Ruby's head lifted up, and she placed a shaky hand to her head. She stumbled for a moment, but Jaune's arms caught her, holding her steady as her head turned again.

"You stupid, ignorant... How could you?! How could you be so selfish?!" Ruby's voice swore and cursed, spitting out each word. Like a flipped coin, their face changed, and Ruby's silver eyes widened as everything fell into place.

"Oh my God... Weiss, I'm so sorry! I-"

"This isn't just your life! It isn't just your body! What you do doesn't just affect yourself! It never has! But of all the stupid, idiotic mistakes to make, you sleep with him!" Weiss' hand pushed into Jaune's, trying to shove him away as tears began to fill the corners of their eyes again.

"Weiss, I-I'm sorry!"

"Sorry?! You're sorry!?" Weiss didn't say anything for a moment, she just glared at the wall, grinding her teeth together as she dug her nails into the palms of her hands. Jaune didn't know if it was just out of strength, an attempt to hurt herself, or an attempt to hurt Ruby. "No. I'm sorry."

"W-Weiss?"

"I'm sorry that you're insane." For a moment, he saw Weiss' eyes widen. He could see the pain Weiss caused in Ruby's eyes as their mouth spat out more hatred and rage. "I'm sorry that I'm getting in the way of your life... Me, a living embodiment of your own shattered psyche!" Weiss knew the words she was saying would cut. She intended on it.

Some small part of her told her this was wrong. That she was being unreasonable... but she couldn't hear it. All she could feel was this body was born into , it was never hers. It was always Ruby's. Weiss Schnee didn't exist. She was just a fraction of an already insane, broken mind of a little girl. She tore their silver eyes from Ruby's control and glared at Jaune.

"Look at us, Jaune. This is the girl you love," she snarled. "An insane, broken, who might not have even been real! For all you know, Ruby's just another broken piece of-" She was silenced by a pair of arms wrapping around her. They pulled her towards them, into Jaune's chest and held her. Her eyes widened as her tears fell onto his shoulders. She couldn't stop them, even as she silently begged for Jaune to release her.

To throw hate and anger at someone and be met with it in return? That was easy.

To throw her hate at Jaune and Ruby, and feel both of their arms around her? Weiss broke down, sobbing as she mourned the loss of a life she had never really had...

"You're real to me. You're not broken. None of you are," whispered Jaune. "Ruby was the girl I fell in love with first, and she'll always have a special place in my heart, but Weiss...? There's a part of my heart that belongs just for you... You're real to me, Weiss Schnee... I love you."

 _Febuary 14th, 2022_

"It's perfect," smiled Weiss.

"I dunno. Still feel like we could have shown him more of the goods in this thing," frowned Yang, poking their boob with a single finger. "What do you think, Blakey?" Suddenly Ruby's left hand smacked her right, shooing away the Yang-controlled limb.

"I think you should stop poking our thousand dollar dress," sighed the third personality.

"I-I dunno, you guys." The sharp edge of Blake's voice vanished as Ruby stared at her reflection. She hugged her body, her naked arms wrapping around herself as she hid the, as Yang called it, tasteful amount of cleavage the dress exposed. "A-are we ready for this?"

"Getting cold feet, sis?" her reflection teased.

"You should be ecstatic. You're the one who fell for this dolt in the first place."

"Ruby." The intelligent gaze of Blake Belladonna stared back at her, concern in the golden eyes only the four could see. "Are you having second thoughts?"

"No! It's just... I never thought this day would come..." Ruby sighed, falling down onto her chair. She stared at her reflection with solemn eyes. "Jaune... He's really going through with all this. With us," she whispered. Ruby closed her eyes with a small, crescent smile on her lips. "I just can't believe he asked me, asked all of us..."

 _December 31st, 2021_

"Excited for the count down?" Jaune asked, looking at Blake.

"I'm not particularly excited for loud explosions and drunks outside our apartment, but I suppose I am." The young woman sipped of her glass of milk, before placing the drink down and reaching for a cookie.

"Thanks for helping me make cookies for Ruby, Blake, and for helping me with shopping."

"You would have been able to make them just fine on your own. I just followed the instructions." Blake took a bite, before glancing at Jaune. "Are you sure about this?"

"I am." His smile told her all she needed to know, alleviating whatever doubt she might have had for the blonde man. "I love Ruby, but I also love Yang too. I love Weiss, and I love you." He reached for her hand, and she met him in the middle between them. A small smile slipped onto her usually stoic face as she nodded her head. "I want to spend the rest of my life with all of you. Not just Ruby, but all of you."

"Having four wives isn't typically normal, you know."

"When have I ever cared about having something normal?" Jaune reached into one of the shopping bags and pulled out a small, white case. He stroked the box with a free hand as he smiled at her. "Are you ready to switch? They're probably going to count down soon..."

Blake nodded her head, and took a deep breath. She closed her eyes as she sat on their couch... only to spring up and peck the golden-haired man's cheek. "Just for the record, I said yes first."

 _February 14th, 2022_

No one knew why Jaune and Ruby Arc insisted on saying their 'I do's four times. No one knew why they kissed four times, each lip-lock different than the others. No one knew why their table held a bouquet of yellow, white, black, and red flowers.

That was fine with them. No one needed to know. To the outside world, it was just Jaune and Ruby at the altar, kissing one another, married to one another.

To Ruby, and her three best friends, it was the beginning of their lives together to the man who loved and accepted them...

 **END**

DID, or Dissociative Identity Disorder, has got to be one of the most fascinating mental disorders to me. It is so fascinating...

Can't say to talk long. Gotta got. See ya!


	3. Redemption and Regret

Genre: Drama/Adventure/Romance

Pitch: With Beacon Academy fallen, Team CFVY and Team CRDL must team up to protect the innocent. Team CFVY becomes the teachers for Team CRDL.

Pairing: Velvet/Cardin Coco/Fox (if you squint)

Word Count: 4180

 **Redemption and Regret**

Cardin Winchester was a lot of things. Badass, tough, brave, better than others, okay, yeah, some people would exaggerate and call him a bully, but he was just out to make sure everyone else knew their place. Second to him. When he joined Beacon Academy, he knew he was going to become one of the greats. Ozpin obviously saw it, why else would he make him leader of his own team?!

So yeah, Cardin Winchester was a lot of things, and some of those things? Depending on the person, could be bad. Yeah, Jauney-boy and his stooges probably talked shit about him behind his back. Called him an asshole or a bully. He would have been happy to teach them a lesson about respect if... Nikos hadn't kept glaring at him every time he walked by.

Cardin was a lot of things, but the one thing he knew he sure as hell wasn't? A coward. He wasn't going to just sit back on a ship and fly out of Vale with his tail between his legs. He wasn't like that monkey faunus he saw it high-tailing it back to Vacuo, no, Cardin was gonna freakin' fight. He and his teammate voted to stay in Beacon, finding refugees and survivors in the immediate area.

Unfortunately, so did Velvet Scarlatina and her band of freaks.

And as much as he didn't like Team CFVY, there really was strength in numbers.

That's why he and his team had been marching with Team CFVY, towards the outskirts of the city of Vale. With the entire kingdom being sent straight to hell, anyone in danger needed to be evacuated to somewhere safe. That's where the two teams came in. They'd fine any survivors and then shoot flares into the air to call for a Bullhead to pick them up. For now, though, they were on a temporary break...

Neither group liked one another, so there was a clear divide as Team CRDL sat on one side of the clearing, lantern planted between them, and Team CFVY sat on the other, fire crackling within their circle. Cardin kept his distance from even his own team as he wrote in his journal.

It was just something that people were going to want to hear about later, right? The beginning and origins of one of Vale's, no, Remnant's greatest Huntsman.

Right now, he was drawing a picture of himself wiping out armies of Grimm, single-handily. An accurate representation of his future. His teammates were on the side, helping, rescuing some damsels in distress and-

"Are you going to eat anything?" Cardin practically slammed his book shut as he turned his head to glare at the Faunus walking towards him. Velvet Scarlatina walked towards him, stopping just a few feet from him as he sat on the fallen log. "We have plenty of food to go around if you and your teammates want any."

Cardin glanced behind Velvet, noticing the wide grin that had formed on Russel's face at the mention of food that wasn't candy bars and chips. Cardin, on the other hand, just glared at the Faunus. "We're fine." He ignored Russel's deflating smile as he motioned Velvet to leave. "Beat it."

"I know you like to think you're invincible, Cardin, but with the school destroyed, we all need to work together. We don't have time to be arrogant," she sighed. Cardin just rolled his eyes at her as he stood up from the log, towering over her.

"I said we're fine. So why don't you scamper on back to your team?"

He had to bite his tongue to resist calling her a freak. That's all she was, of course. A Faunus freak. An animal. What right did something like her have telling him what to do and how he needed to act?! Memories from the Battle of Beacon flowed into Cardin's mind, only making him angrier as he dug his fingers into his palms. Velvet just sighed, like she was disappointed, before both of them were distracted by a noise.

"What's his deal?" asked Cardin, as one of Velvet's teammates stood up. The red-haired man looked around, staring at the walls of forest as he tried searching for something. A moment later, Velvet's eyes widened as her ears pointed towards the sky.

"I hear it too, Fox! Coco, Grimm are on their way! It sounds like a pack of Beowolves!"

"Right." The leader of Team CFVY picked up her purse and with the touch of a button, the purse morphed into a massive minigun. "Form up, team! Nothing gets behind us! CRDL-"

"Worry about yourself, Coco. We'll be fine." The burly orange-haired man rose up, mace in hand. He smirked as he saw his three teammates take up their own weapons and the thundering charge of Beowolves grow louder and louder.

* * *

"Are you completely stupid?!" Cardin flinched at her volume, the sheer force of her scream nearly pushing him back. He would have tried to inch away from the enraged woman, but his teammates were all cowering behind him.

"Hey, this isn't my fa-"

"This is all your fault!" Coco's fist slammed into his stomach, and he felt like he had been hit by a Goliath. The air shot out of his lungs and his Aura was depleted and he was left to fall on his knees by the infuriated harpy. "I was trying to tell you to watch our side! I was trying to tell you Fox had a blind spot and needed help! But instead you dicked around and an Alpha nearly tore Fox's arm off!" She grabbed Cardin by the scruff of his hair, scowling at him. "My teammate nearly died because of your incompetence!"

"Coco-" But Velvet was silenced as Coco raised up her hand.

"Yatsuhashi, send out a flare. We just found our first pack of civvies to send back home." Her voice was low, void of the arrogance and ease she typically carried. It took Cardin and his team a moment to realize just what she meant, and by then she had already begun walking away.

"You're sending us back!? You can't treat us like that!" Sky growled.

"Yeah! We're Huntsman, like you!" argued Dove.

"You are nothing like us! Your leader is an arrogant blowhard, and as dumb as he is weak! You're a coward," she spat, pointing at Russel. "And you two are just stupid enough and weak enough to follow any orders you hear!" This time her glare fell on Dove and Sky, who flinched at her words. They opened their mouths to try to argue, only to be shot down again. "I gave you one chance to try and help us, because I thought you might be of help, but you're almost as bad as the Grimm! I-"

A hand fell on Coco's shoulder. Fox stood behind her, his good arm resting on her as he stared at her. She turned to meet his calm gaze with her own infuriated almond orbs. His white eyes seemed to communicate something as the young woman seemed to cool down. He placed a hand on her quaking fist, and he seemed to mutter something at her as well.

"You're lucky Fox has the aura to heal from a cut like that," she sighed. "But that doesn't change my decision. You're all getting picked up and sent home, got it?"

"B-but we want to help!" Cardin glanced at Dove, watching the boy step forward.

"If you can't follow orders, and work as a common force, then you have no place here. You're a danger to yourselves and us, far more than any Grimm," growled the giant swordsman, Yatsuhashi. The man placed his backpack onto the floor, reaching inside to pull out a flare. "I saw your fight with Miss Nikos. None of you have improved."

"Hey! I'm a hell of a lot stronger than when I fought Nikos!" countered Cardin, finally finding his fire once more. He stepped forward, reaching for Yatsuhashi's arm, only to be stopped by the swordman's hand. He bent the ginger-haired man's arm back, nearly twisting it as he struggled to fight back.

"Perhaps as an individual, but your teamwork is sorely lacking. You did not lead, you ran around like a common dog, from one target to the next. Your attack had no strategy, no trust. You even pushed your own teammates out of the way to quicker stamp out the enemy. As far as I am concerned, you have no right to be leader. You were simply the least awful choice." His voice never shouted, never roared. He expressed his revulsion with a calm, even voice.

Despite that, Yatsuhashi's hand continued to twist and squeeze Cardin's. He only relented when a voice called out to him.

"Let him go, Yatsuhashi!" Velvet rose to save Cardin's dignity, or what little remained of it, at least. She walked forward, and the giant obeyed her, freeing Cardin. Yatsuhashi nodded at Velvet, before returning to fetch the flaregun from his backpack. "Coco, I know they messed up, but do we really have to send them away like this...?"

"If they can't even try to follow orders, then yes, we do." Coco pulled away from Fox and glared at Cardin, who rubbed his blistering wrist. "Give me one good reason why we shouldn't send them backing!"

"Because it's their home too." Velvet looked at Cardin, silently pleading for him to speak up.

"If anything like this happened to Mistral, I know I would not simply want to fight. I would need to," agreed Yatsuhashi. "To be held back from combat would be a cruel punishment. To be prevented from fighting would be more painful than any injury." His gaze seemed distant, the horrors of his homeland turning into the hellhole and wasteland Vale and Beacon had become. In a moment, the fear vanished from his dark eyes, replaced with tranquil fury. "But I would also look to my betters for how I could best fight. Something Team CRDL fails at."

"You can't send us back! We can fight too!" Sky shouted.

"Yeah! Vale's our home!" Even Russel stepped forward to try and argue the point.

"Then go home! Go move supplies, or help watch over transports! Do something else, because out here you're just gonna fuck things up for the rest of us and get yourselves, or one of my teammates, killed!" roared Coco.

Velvet bit her lip, shaking from the sheer volume of everyone's screaming. Her sensitive, Faunus ears quivered and blistered at the sensation, but still she tried to calm everyone down. She opened her mouth to speak up, only to stop as a low 'thump' broke through the shouting. The others all turned their heads with Velvet's, staring at the source of sound. They saw the fallen mace, standing on its' head, and the warrior who bent down beside it, resting his knee on the ground as a single hand squeezed the handle of the weapon. Cardin Winchester bowed his head down, lifting it up only when he spoke.

Velvet saw into his eyes. There was no compassion in his eyes. No kindness. She wasn't even sure if she saw regret in those indigo jewels, but what she did see was hatred. Not towards the others, as she expected from the young man. Not even to the world, as she had seen in the eyes of so many Faunus before her. No, what she saw in those eyes was the most twisted type of hatred.

Hatred towards one's own self.

"Teach us."

"Excuse you?" asked Coco, lifting up a single brow in response. She watched as Cardin's head fell again, and he spoke with a voice devoid of his nasally, obnoxious arrogance.

"You said we're not good enough. We're... we were students, I mean. You don't like how we do things? Teach how to do it right so we can stay on board." Cardin didn't say anything. He was probably waiting for some kind of response. All he got was Coco scoffing at his idea, shaking her head.

"You're nuts if you think we're going to waste our time trying to teach you and your three stooges," she growled. "I-" Once again, Fox's hand fell onto her shoulder. The two exchanged a brief stare, and the silent warrior nodded his head, as if approving of Cardin's idea. "Fox, did you take a head injury when I wasn't looking?" The dark-skinned man didn't say anything, only crossing his arms and staring at her. "No."

"Maybe it isn't such a bad idea, Coco." The leader of the Team CFVY glared at Velvet, but the Faunus continued to speak despite it. "We could use all the help we could get, and if we can teach Team CRDL how to fight, then everyone wins. We have people to watch our back, and they can help us save people."

Coco ground her teeth, shaking her head in silent frustration. She looked to the swordsman, who held the flare gun in his hand. Yatsuhashi looked at his leader, before his eyes glanced at Team CRDL. "Those who seek to learn, should be taught, and with the school in ruins, it may fall upon us to teach first year students, Coco."

"Seriously? You're all for this?" Coco's anger seemed to fade, replaced with shock and frustration. She took off her shades, massaging the bridge of her nose as she tried to think. "Fine." Her almond eyes glared at Cardin as she crossed her arms. "You want to learn how to be real Huntsmen? We'll teach you. Prepare for a crash course in pain."

* * *

Cardin was reminded of him and his team's bout against Pyrrha Nikos when he saw how he and his team did against Coco Adel. As the moon shined over them, the four boys all attacked and fought the fashionista. She, in turned, sent them all crashing down with many nasty bruises. Cardin and Dove were the only ones standing as Sky and Russel surrendered to nurse their wounds.

Dova held his blade with a shaky hand as he looked to Cardin. Maybe he was expecting Cardin to give up. Maybe he was expecting Cardin to come up with some kind of strategy or tactic. Whatever he was expecting, it wasn't the young leader roaring in anger, shoving Dove out of the way as he swung his mace at Coco's shoulder. The girl rolled her eyes, effortlessly knocking the mace off course with her purse. The mace flew from his fingertips, crashing into some trees as she slammed her foot into his crotch.

He hit the ground, groaning in a voice even higher and nasalier than was usual. He tried to breathe, trying to ignore the blistering agony his crotch exploded in. Coco's foot stomped on his back, pushing him into the dirt with a scowl.

"You're lucky I held back, Cardin. That could have actually hurt." Cardin tried to reply, his indigo eyes burning with anger, but all anyone could hear was a high-pitched groan.

* * *

"You are strong," complimented Yatsuhashi. Cardin's lips curved into a prideful smirk, nodding his head in approval before the smile was smacked off his face. "But you lack honor and discipline in your training."

Sky scoffed at the statement. "What's that supposed to mean? We should say 'thank you' after every push up or something?" Russel and Dove snickered beside him, but Cardin didn't share his team's mirth. He looked into Yatsuhashi's eyes and he could practically see the sadistic glee that hid behind the warrior's stoic expression.

"You misunderstand." The swordsman reached into backpack once more and pulled out a large wearable weight, black in color, with jade letters on the side of it that read 'HONOR.' "Honor goes on your left leg. Discipline goes on your right." His other hand produced the second weight, and Cardin noticed the straps that would tie the heavy equipment to their legs. "Both weigh about a hundred pounds, that's two hundred pounds all together. A bit light for me now, but perfect for beginners like you." His eyes shot a look at Sky that made the poor fool's skin turn cold and his spine shiver. "Sky, I only have these two, so why don't you start? Run with me until I say you are done."

"Oum help me..."

* * *

Fox watched the group that laid before him. Laid, because they all looked too tired and weak to stand on their tortured legs any longer. He cleared his throat and motioned for them to look at him. Russel let out a small whimper as he tried to twist his head. Cardin lifted his head up from the grassy pillow he had found and stared at the silent, blind man with dizzy eyes.

"What are you going to make us do? Fight you? Run up a tree? Tame Grimm and ride them like horses?" groaned the leader, pushing his arms against the ground and forcing his body up. His legs trembled, before he fell forward. He would have hit the ground had Fox not caught him with a single hand. The crimson-haired man stared at Cardin, before gently pushing him back onto his feet.

Fox said nothing as he sat down on the ground, crossing his legs and placing the palms of his hands against one another. He took in a slow breath, held it for a few seconds, before releasing it in a quiet sigh. He looked at the four boys, or at least Cardin thought he was looking at them, before motioning them to sit as well.

"You have got to be kidding me," groaned Sky.

"Hell, at least it isn't more running," commented Dove.

Team CRDL followed the teacher's commands, sitting in front of him as best they could, trying to mirror his style. Cardin's eye twitched as his leg screamed in pain from the movement. He tried lifting one foot over the other, and eventually had to physically grab his own leg and tug it into place. He tried to ignore the searing pain as his teammates' grunts and groans echoed behind them.

"I think my leg is broken," one of them lamented. Cardin rolled his eyes, before looking at Fox. The older student had closed his eyes and simply inhaled deeply, before letting out another sigh. He then breathed in and repeated the process.

"Is... is he sleeping?" wondered Russel.

"Should we wake him?"

"Yeah, go for it, Sky. Go and poke a sleeping bear."

"I thought his name was Fox?"

"Would you idiots shut the hell up?" hissed Cardin. "Just do what he does."

The other three looked to one another, before obeying their leader's commands, putting their hands together and closing their eyes. They breathed in and out, trying to match the rhythmic pattern Fox maintained. They did this for what felt like hours to the team, and while his teammates whined and complained, Cardin just kept his eyes shut and focused on his breathing.

It's a good thing he did too. If he had opened his eyes, he might have seen the small smile on Fox's face.

* * *

"How are you feeling?"

Cardin slammed his book shut again, scowling at Velvet walked towards him again. The light of the campfire outlined her, partly bathing her frame in an orange-red light. The young girl looked at him with concern and pity, a look that just drove Cardin to glare at back at her. He slid his book under his pillow, ignoring her for a moment to see if she'd get the drift and walk away.

Instead, she just continued to stand there, staring at him, waiting for him to say anything.

"What the hell do you want?" Again, he had to hold back his title for her. She was a freak, no doubt there, but he didn't dare say it aloud.

"I wanted to see how badly the others wore you down. I'm surprised you're still up," she commented, glancing at the sleeping pile of his three other teammates.

"I'm too tired to sleep," he remarked, shrugging lazily as he stared at the fire. "Why aren't you asleep?"

"It's too noisy," she answered. Cardin didn't actually hear much beyond the crackle of the campfire, but he didn't argue the point. A single glance at her hazel ears explained enough. "You want a snack?" she asked, reaching into a pouch that hung from her hip.

"Why? You got some carrots in there?" he scoffed, too quickly to even stop himself. Velvet paused, her hand frozen for a moment in her pouch, before she retrieved whatever it was she was looking for. She pulled out a small, zip-lock bag, with a biscuit and some slices of cheese sitting inside.

"That's the first Faunus-related comment you've said since we started this mission together." She sat down in front of him, staring at him even as his own eyes focused on the fire. The flames danced and waved, but they were already beginning to die. Cardin picked up a stick and poked at the wood, trying to keep it alight. "Can I ask why?"

"Why the hell do you even care?"

"How can you not?" She was staring at the fire now with him, watching him try to keep the flame burning. By now, both knew it was a futile attempt. "Cardin, you haven't been acting like yourself. I just want to see how you were doing."

"Since when the hell have you cared?" he scoffed.

"Since our home was destroyed." Cardin's hand stopped and he dropped the stick, glaring into the fire's last dance. "Beacon Academy was your home too. Now, Headmaster Ozpin is gone, Miss Goodwitch is missing, and everything... Everything's fallen apart." She waited for him to say something, but he was silent. "I saw innocent people die from Grimm. I saw people being shot to death by Atlas robots. I saw Faunus and humans alike screaming in anger. At each other, at Ruby's sister, Yang, at Atlas, at Vale..."

"..."

"I'm terrified that'll happen to me. The idea of being so filled with hate that the Grimm go on a feeding frenzy... I still can't believe we brought this on ourselves." Velvet's eyes closed as she listened to void the fire left behind. The sound of whistling wind flowed past her, tickling her ears. "I don't mean we as in my team, or yours. I mean, we as a people. People attracted the Grimm like moths to a flame. People who couldn't just let hatred go..."

"Is that why you're talking to me?"

Velvet's eyes opened and she looked at him. "I guess so. I guess, I just want to try and stop feeling that kind of hate. I knew Coco was mad at you and your team for what happened to Fox... I hated seeing her like that, so I tried to find a better way... Stop things before they got worse." It was dark. Velvet could see Cardin with ease, but the boy was practically blind as clouds rolled over the moon. All he could see were the outline of trees and the sea of stars above. "Cardin?"

"Why the hell didn't you ever stop us?"

"I'm... sorry?"

"Why didn't you ever stop us? When we picked on you? When I pulled your ears?" There was a pregnant moment of silence before he spoke again, digging his fingers into the grass, tearing blades up. "I saw you at the school. I saw you cut down two freakin' Paladins all by yourself."

"Oh... You saw that."

"Yeah, I saw! So why the hell did you ever let us push you around?!"

Velvet didn't answer immediately. She contemplated the question, before she stood up and looked at Cardin with crestfallen eyes. He could see the compassion or pity in them, but he could hear it in her voice. "I joined Beacon to fight Grimm and defend innocent people. Not to fight you and your gang of bullies. It didn't matter what happened to me."

He could hear her footsteps as she walked away, the sound of her feet crushing blades of grass echoed for a moment before it faded away into silence.

 **END**

Another one down. So here's a story that I wouldn't mind doing one day. This story would be about the smaller teams, the ones that aren't JNPR, SSSN, or RWBY. It would star CFVY and CRDL as both teams scour the ruins of Vale, trying to protect and evacuate the people in the really dangerous areas. Team CFVY would take a mentor role for CRDL, teaching to be both better fighters and better people.

It'd be a pretty interesting story, I feel, since most of the characters here are underdeveloped or don't have a lot of screen time. It'd also focus on Cardin undergoing a redemption arc.

Can I just say I HATE 'The Bully' trope in fiction? It's just so done to death and dull. Having some loser being the asshole at a school of some kind. Yeah, you can say it's realistic, but it is just so very, very boring to me. That said, if the Bully wises up and becomes a better person, I love that. Case in point? Flash Thompson from Spider-man. Starts off as huge asshole, evolves into becoming a hero of his own right. Awesome.

So yeah. This story, if I ever wrote it, would star CFVY and CRDL as they all go on a big adventure together. Characters develop, love blossoms, people get hurt, etc. It would also show how different characters react to the fall of one of the great academies and the 'death' of Ozpin, one of Vale's toughest figures. I like to think even CRDL would be shaken up by the fall of their school.

Before I go, I'll say that I am willing to accept/listen to requests. If you have a particular prompt you want me to do, send it to me in a review. Maybe I'll do it. Maybe I won't. But if I like it, I probably will. Fill out this simple form, and leave a review for me and we'll see how things go from there.

Genre: Horror, comedy, romance, tragedy, slice of life...

Pitch: Tell me the idea.

Pairing: If any.

Have a good one, folks! Thanks for reading! Take care!


	4. No Happy Ending

Genre: Tragedy/Romance/Drama

Pitch: You're going to die, and there is nothing you can do about it. All you can decide is how you live during your last moments.

Pairing: Ren/Nora

Words: 1792

 **No Happy Ending**

The plan had been so simple. Find a way into Salem's world, plant the bomb, leave.

But of course, it wouldn't be that simple. Mercury and Emerald's bodies were proof enough of that. Ren grabbed onto the only leg Mercury had left and pulled, dragging the young man against the tiled floor. A trail of drying blood was left behind them. He glanced at Emerald's body, which sat by the doorway as he dragged Mercury past her. A clean exit wound decorated her back, reminding Ren exactly where Ruby put the bullet in her. Right through the heart.

"Guess she isn't so heartless after all," Yang had said. It wasn't a funny joke. Honestly, it was kind of morbid, but they all had their way of dealing with stress. With the reality they had found themselves in.

They all coped in their own way.

"Where are you taking him?" Neptune was staring at him from the doorway of the demonic castle. He glanced at the trail of blood Mercury's cold body left behind it, before looking at Ren. The young martial artist dropped the metallic leg, watching it land on the hard, stone floor, before he answered.

"I'm going to bury them."

"Why?" Ren wasn't deaf to the vitriol in Neptune's voice. He couldn't blame the blue-haired young man. After all, Mercury had hospitalized Sun in a fight a few months ago. The fight was vicious, with the only clear being the one who could walk away. Sun lived to tell Blake he loved her, but he was forced to sit in a wheelchair, knowing he couldn't join Team RWBY, the remains of Team JNPR, and their ragtag band of allies in this final battle.

In some ways, Sun was lucky. He would be one of the few to see the beginning and end of this war.

"They should be buried. They deserve that much."

"What they deserve are more bullet holes in their chest," he replied, kicking Emerald's corpse. He stared into the girl's crimson eyes, glaring into them, as if expecting some sort of plea or excuse. "If they had never joined Cinder, none of this would have happen."

"Doubtful. Cinder simply would have found other lost souls to take in. Honestly, any one of us could have been her servant if she had played her cards right." Ren could feel Neptune's eyes on him, glaring through his soul with an icy stare. "All I want is to give them a proper burial. They deserve that much..."

"Fine. Do whatever the hell you want."

Ren remembered when Neptune would smile and laugh at the juvenile jokes he and his teammates made. He remembered the Neptune that'd wink at girls and click his tongue, like it was some kind of mating call. In all honesty, he had grown to miss that Neptune. The one that prowled the halls of Salem's castle was more of a soldier than he ever thought Neptune could be.

* * *

Weiss stared at her Scroll, trying to bring herself to press down on the final button. The portal, as Neptune and Ironwood had described it, was destabilized to the point that any organic matter would just be torn to shreds. The way they described it, her very atoms would be cut apart, her DNA unwoven like yarn. and her mind left broken across the barriers of dimension between here and Remnant.

So rather than pick the quick death, Weiss was to sit here and wait for a clock to hit zero. Zero on the bomb, zero on her life, zero on all of their lives.

It almost seemed like some sick joke.

After all their fighting, all of the blood sweat and tears, after the death of her own sister, everything led up to this. Waiting for a counter to hit zero.

Her thumb pressed down on the call button without her even realizing. Her blood turned cold and her heart skipped a beat as she saw the single word appear on the screen. 'Father.' Her heart twisted and writhed as the phone rang.

"Leave a... leave a message," a voice groaned, followed by a high-pitched beep. Her father's voice slurred, as if he had been drinking. Considering he had lost both his eldest daughter, his company, and his wife since the war began, Weiss wouldn't be surprised if he had been.

"Hello, father. It's Weiss." _If you couldn't already tell..._ "I'm surprised to see you haven't blocked my number, considering how our last conversation went... I know I told you I never wanted to hear from you again, but I..." Her vision blurred for a moment, and she rubbed her eyes, wiping it away with the sleeve of her dress. "I just wanted to tell you something. I participated on the attack on Salem's fortress. We did it, father." She almost couldn't believe she was able to say it. It almost sounded impossible.

"It's over. Salem, and everyone in her inner circle, is dead. Hazel is dead, father. I hope that makes you happy. I'm sorry to say, all it did was make me feel sick inside," she admitted. "I...I hope it puts Winter at rest, at least." She didn't know what to say next. Did she continue to remind her father about the man that killed his child? Or did she try to voice what her own heart felt?

Instead, she chose neither and merely told him the facts she knew. "We discovered that this world naturally spawns Grimm. They'll never stop infesting our world as long as this place exists. So General Ironwood brought a bomb, one strong enough to wipe out an entire kingdom. He thinks it's enough to put an end to the Grimm forever. The plan was to plant it and leave, but Salem... she attacked us. We were able to stop her, but she accomplished what she sought to do before we did. She damaged the machine that let us enter here. Now, we can't send anyone through. We're stuck here, with a bomb, and... and we had a group vote. We're unanimous. We're going to blow this place to hell and make sure not a single Grimm can hurt anyone else ever again. That's why I called you, father."

"I'm going to die in less than an hour. I just wanted you to know that despite everything, despite all the pain we put each other through, despite everything you said to me... You're still my father." Weiss couldn't see again. Her vision blurred as she tried to speak, but she just let out tiny whimpers and shuddering gasps. "I love you. Despite everything, father, I loved you..."

* * *

"Ren?"

The young Huntsman turned his head. He stood over the freshly buried graves as he saw his childhood friend staring at him. She walked forward, her footsteps uncharacteristically slow and deliberate. Her fingers gently brushed against her other hands' knuckles, her weapon nowhere in sight.

"Yes, Nora?" he inquired, stepping over Mercury's grave and towards the young woman.

"Can I... Can I just be here?" She was trembling. There was nothing she could do to stop it. He didn't hesitate, nodding his head and motioning her closer. She followed his motions and fell into his arms. She closed her eyes, taking in a slow breath as her head nuzzled against his chest. He smelled of sweat and flowers, just like he always did after a long day. "Ren... You know, I-I always liked your name. It sounded pretty. Like a girl's name," she teased, her breath like little sniffles and tiny gasps.

"I know." His hands fell on the small of her back. He traced circles on the fabric as she laid in his arms.

"I wish... I told you sooner. I wish I was brave, instead of being so stupid," she croaked, drying her eyes in the cloth of his robes. "I wish I could have-"

"Nora." He kissed her forehead, through the summer-colored hairs of her head. "I know. I'm sorry. I should have acted on your feelings sooner." Regret was an emotion foreign to Ren's voice, but Nora wasn't one to judge. Her own voice rarely held such a 'brokeness' to it. "I should have told you after Beacon. I know I don't deserve it, but-" Her lips touched his. It wasn't a passionate lip-lock. It wasn't hot, nor was it long.

It was a kiss in only the most chaste of terms.

"We have time..." It was the first thing he said, even as the blush on his face continued to burn. "Where would you like to go for our first date?" She snickered, rubbing her face against his neck as she laughed.

"I always saw us walking through a forest together. Picking flowers. I'd make a crown of them and put them on your head," she teased, stroking the smooth surface of his cheek.

"Hm. I would argue wearing it at first."

"But we both know you'd eventually crumble."

"For my Queen, I suppose I would."

 **END**

I wanted to try something different. This is that something different. It'd be a multiple chapter tale, with each chapter focusing on a character's reaction to the countdown. Jaune, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Neptune, etc etc. It'd show how much they've changed because of the war, and how much they've had to give to accomplish getting this far...

All leading up to a countdown.

I wrote about Weiss, because she's one of my favorite characters, and Ren and Nora, cause I rarely write about them.

If I ever wrote this story, it would not have a happy ending. There would be no last minute rescues or triumphant returns. They are going to die, and there is nothing they can do about it. How will they react to it? With anger? With love? With depression? Or regret?

But yeah. It'd be an interesting story to write.

As always, I am open to requests. We'll see what the next chapter is about, my dear friends. I hope you enjoyed this little tale. Not sure how well or awful I did, but please, tell me. Have a good one guys, and see you soon!


	5. Love Me 2 Pieces

Genre: Romance/Drama

Pitch: More DID RWBY AU. How many acronyms can I shove in this pitch?

Pairing: Jaune/Team RWBY

Words: 4082

 **Love Me 2 Pieces**

 _June 05, 2015_

Yang grinned at her reflection as she looked herself over. She looked good. Damn good. Well, Ruby did, technically, but hotness was two-thirds attitude, and Yang brought all of that and more. She glanced at Ruby's hair, gently petting the raven-locks. They weren't bad, and after a bit of insistent poking from Yang, Ruby even dyed her tips red. Ruby looked good, but Yang in Ruby's body?

Her sister never looked hotter.

Yang could feel the corners of her lips dip down, but she reeled them back up. She wasn't about to go emo, that's for sure. So what if her reflection didn't reflect what she really looked like. That was fine. Her sister was still nice enough to give her the whole night to be herself. All of her 'alternates' had a night to themselves, and Friday night was all Yang's!

So after a fun shopping venture where she picked out some new outfits for her and Ruby, Yang returned to their apartment. She stared into her reflection with a smile on her face, admiring how the sun-colored top accented her breasts. She'd never let her little sister wear anything like this, but when Yang had the freedom to dress how she wanted, well...

Yang touched her hand against her exposed stomach, admiring the taut stomach their body had. She traced her hand down, inspecting how she looked in the cut-off jeans. Good, was the answer to that question. Yang flicked her hair from her eyes, only to frown at the sight. Ruby's hair was so short, she could never style it into anything special. She'd asked her sister to grow it out before, but Ruby wasn't fond of the idea after trying it out as a child.

 _"Looking good is so not worth getting poked in the eyes,"_ Ruby had said.

 _Ah, whatever._ Yang shrugged off the thought and walked over to the couch. She picked up the remote and with the click of a button, the TV came to life. Some B-rated horror movie was on, and Yang grinned as the masked lunatic chased after some dumb teens. _This is gonna be good,_ she thought, before glancing at the kitchen. _Hm... Popcorn or cookies? Psh, Ruby would kill me if she knew I took from her stash. Popcorn it i-_

The sound of jingling keys tore Yang from her train of thought. It wasn't the sound itself that threw her off, after all, they lived in an apartment. People walking in the halls with their keys out were common. No, the weird part was that the sound came from right outside their door, followed by the sound of it opening.

"Hey, Ruby! Guess who got off work early!"

 _Oh no._ Yang practically shot off the couch as a blonde-haired man walked into the room, kicking the door closed behind him. She recognized him, and knew of him, but this was the first time she had ever met him. Jaune... something. Ruby's friend that she met a couple months ago. What the hell was he doing in their apartment though? Actually, better question. Why did he have a key to their apartment?!

"Ruby? I got strawberry ca-aahhhk..." Yang felt an immediate sense of shame as the man's eyes looked at her. It wasn't that Yang was ashamed to wear the revealing, provocative outfit. It was that she was ashamed Ruby's friend was looking at Ruby wearing the outfit. "W-wow... Um... W-what's the special occasion? I mean, you look... Wow," he squeaked, his voice cracking for a moment as his eyes traveled up and down Ruby's body.

 _What the hell is up with this pervert?_ Yang couldn't hide the distaste in her eyes as she glared at Jaune. She noticed there was a cake in his hands, covered in a plastic box. He placed the box onto the dining table and began to approach Yang, who felt her body tense up. She didn't know what to expect from this guy, but one thing's for sure, she wasn't-

He kissed her. He was kissing her! He was kissing Ruby! Yang! He was kissing them!

Yang struggled to react, about a dozen emotions flashing through her silver eyes as this stranger began kissing her li- her sister's lips! His tongue began to trace her, Ruby, their lips, gently pushing for a way in. Yang let out a muffled cry of protest as she felt his arm loop around her body, gently touching her lower back, pulling her against body, deeper into the kiss. Her breasts pushed against his body, squeezed in between their frames. His eyes were closed as he continued to kiss her, his tongue continuing to seek entrance.

She couldn't stop her arm. She pulled back and fired it into his head, practically throwing him back as she ground her arm at her lips. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Jaune held his face and bellowed, trying not to scream as he stumbled back. He slowly let his hands drop, his fingers forming fists as he bit down on his lip. He opened his mouth to try and speak, but Yang shoved him further back, scowling as he nearly fell over. She was panting, cheeks flushed as her brain sparked and burned.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" she roared, grabbing him by his collar and pulling him close, only to push him back again. This time, he fell onto the ground. Jaune looked at her with wide, terrified eyes as he held up his hands.

"R-Ruby?! I-I'm sorry! D-did I do something wrong?!"

"Why did you kiss me?!"

"B-because I love you? Because you're my girlfriend?!" he asked, trying to pull away. Yang's silver eyes only widened and a million thoughts shot through her head like a hail of bullets.

"Out."

"W-what?"

"Get out! Get the hell out now!" Yang grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, hoisting him up despite their size difference. She swung him towards the front door, nearly tossing him to the ground as her silver eyes glared at him. "Leave! Now!"

"B-but Ruby-!"

"Get the hell out!" Her voice shrieked at him. He opened his mouth to say something, but one look into her eyes killed the words. He stood up and left, practically running as Yang screamed at him. She followed him, only to slam the door shut behind him. She locked it, before she held her head with trembling hands. She struggled to catch her breath as her legs began to shake.

 _She lied to me...?_

 _Why?_

 _I'm her sister...!_

 _Ruby...?_

Yang placed a hand on the wall to help stable herself, groaning as she felt like her head was being cracked open. She squeezed her sister's eyes shut, her nails slowly digging into the wall as the pain grew more and more intense.

Yang couldn't feel her arm. She couldn't feel anything anymore, just pins and needles as someone else held her down and she couldn't do anything to stop it. A prisoner of her own body, but the body wasn't even hers.

* * *

When Ruby woke up, she was on the ground, laying on her carpet. Her head stung like it had been split open, and she was dressed in revealing, flimsy clothing. Her body felt sore and fatigued, like she had just ran a marathon. She placed her petite fingers through her scarlet locks, brushing the hair from her eyes as she forced her body up on trembling legs.

 _Ow... What did Yang do?_ she wondered as she forced her body forward. She rubbed the exhaustion from her eyes as she glanced at the clock that hung from her walls. _It's 4 AM?! When did she sleep?!_ Ruby rolled her shoulder, trying in vain to try and reinvigorate herself. Despite her long sleep her body still ached and her mind felt far worse. _Huh?_

There was a cake on her table. A strawberry cheesecake, her favorite kind. Did Yang get it for her? She placed her hand against the pink, paper and plastic box that held it and noticed how warm it felt. _Did she forget to put it in the fridge?_

Beside the cake was her phone. She picked the small device up, expecting to see messages left for her from her sister, only to find messages left by different blonde. She read the messages one by one, feeling her heart plummet farther and farther down with each passing sentence. When she reached the last message, she felt sick to her stomach and her head's stinging pain seemed to only intensify.

 _I'm sorry, Ruby. Please, pick up. I just want to know what I did wrong..._

 _Ruby, please, I'm sorry._

 _Is this you breaking up with me? Look, if I messed up just tell me! Say something!_

 _Just let me know you're okay..._

* * *

 _November 24th, 2016_

"Salt."

"Salt!"

"Oregano."

"Oregano!"

"Thyme!"

"All the thyme in the world!"

Jaune and Ruby were spending their first Thanksgiving together, and their joy seemed to fill the room so much, it was almost palpable. She looked to her boyfriend, returning the grin on his face with one of her own as he dumped some thyme into his hand and sprinkled it over the stuffing. "I still can't believe you're so good at cooking."

"Seven sisters and mom and dad still asked me to help in the kitchen," he chuckled, before motioning for a wet paper towel. Ruby was quick to fetch it for him as he continued. "Says a lot about them, really."

"Well, their loss is my gain," she replied, before kissing her boyfriend's cheek and handing him the paper towel. He began to clean his hands of the many spices and oil that stuck to it as she picked up another spice and looked it over. "What else do we need?"

"We should be good for now. Let's put the stuffing into the oven and take five," he suggested. Ruby nodded in agreement, before glancing at her phone.

"Oh, someone called me."

"On Thanksgiving? Anything important?" wondered the young man. Ruby stepped away from her boyfriend's side and picked up her phone from the table. She unlocked it with a swipe of her finger, finding the caller had left her a voice mail.

"Huh. It's Sun. Wonder why he called?" With a quick press of the button, Ruby put the phone to her ear and patiently waited for her friend's voice. She heard his greeting, her brow furrowing at the way he sounded. Sun's voice was hesitant, almost scared, not something that was typical for the young man. He danced around the issue, starting with asking how Ruby and Jaune's Thanksgiving was, before realizing that she couldn't answer.

Eventually she heard him sigh. "Sorry. This just isn't easy to talk about. Look, Ruby, I'm just going to tell it to you straight. Adam came over today. He's looking for Blake."

Ruby's eyes widened and her phone nearly slipped between her fingers as her mind raced. The full weight of the words hit her like a thrown stone, nearly causing her to fall. She put a hand to her head as the words echoed through her skull, flowing into every crevasse in her mind. She could feel Yang, Weiss, and Blake. She knew they heard the words. She felt them.

She could feel Yang's horror as memories played through their mind, flashing like lightning as their body froze in terror. She could feel Weiss' dread as she saw the usual brave and confident alternate panic and cry. The usually haughty and confident woman didn't know what to do as a fear that wasn't truly hers infested her mind. Ruby could feel Blake's scathing tears as they rolled down their face, like tiny rivers on their skin.

Jaune's eyes widened as he saw his girlfriend cry, holding her head as she began to whimper. Ruby's legs gave out and she fell into his arms as her phone dropped to the floor. Her eyes, when he saw them, were dilated and unresponsive to the room's light. Her hands clawed at her head, seeking to try and numb the growing pain that coursed through her skull.

He had never seen this before, but he knew what it was. It was one of the first thing Ruby had to explain to her after telling him about her DID. She called them 'dissociative episodes' or 'dissociative attacks.' They were like panic attacks, but they came from her link with Blake, Yang, and Weiss. He had yet to fully understand it, but she had tried to simplify it for his sake.

Yang and the others were all real people, with real souls and minds. They just shared a body with Ruby. When they were all united, Ruby had the focus and brainpower of four girls, maybe seven considering Weiss and Blake's studious natures. There were honestly some nights where Jaune wished he had DID too, the nights where Ruby seemed to have a wealth of knowledge thanks to Blake and constant support from Yang and Weiss.

But that's when they were all happy and stable together. When Ruby and the others felt terrified and hysterical, that emotion was quadrupled. She was experiencing the emotional terror of four different people at one, and it was scarring her. Without a real plan, he knew he had to do something. Ruby's advice for when her dissociation was its' worse had been to 'keep her out of trouble' and to 'let her run her course.'

 _To hell with that._

"R-Ruby?"

"Jaune?" Her inflection was different. So was her pitch and tone. Her words were less happy and they lost that energy that drew Jaune to her in the first place. Her body was still the same, nothing changed physically, but just the way she looked at him was different. Her silver eyes, usually wide and shining with warmth, were narrow, almost cat-like. "You need to go. Now."

"Blake?" The woman tried to tear her arms away from Jaune, but failed to break his grip on her. "Talk to me. What's going on?"

"Nothing that concerns you." Ruby's terror faded from those silver eyes, replaced with an unnatural peace. "Just go. This is something for us to discuss. A family matter."

"I'm part of this family too, Blake," he reminded. His tone wasn't argumentative, nor was it harsh. It was like a simple reminder, a simple fact that Jaune held against his heart. "And I'm sure as hell not about to abandon my best friend." His hands traced up her arms, gently brushing against the dark fabric that made her top. His hands landed on her shoulders, where they gently squeezed and stroked her soft skin.

She glared at him, but he could see the pain she hid behind her fury. Her fingers pressed against his chest, trying to push him away as her head ached. "I'm not Ruby, Jaune. I'm-"

"I know. You're Blake. You're still my best friend." His lips gently pressed against her forehead, trapping several scarlet locks between them. He pulled away and stared into Blake's eyes with his own cerulean orbs. "Blake, I'm not going to leave any of you just because things get rough. An Arc never abandons his team," he smiled.

"You're an id-ahh..." Blake's eyes widened, her fingers touched the sides of her head, massaging the flesh as she tried to stand.

"Here, sit down. I'm going to grab something." His hands gently pushed her towards a chair by the table, leaving the aching girl there while he dashed off. Blake held back a whimper of pain as her mind continued to sting. He soon returned with a book in hand. "This is your favorite book, right?" He held the hardcover novel under her face, allowing her head to remain low as she looked at it.

"The Man With Two Souls?" She read the title once more in her head, before lifting one set of fingers from her head to brush against the solid, rough cover.

"I was reading up about DID and I learned that familiarity helps," he explained. He watched her pale fingers trace the edges of the cover, his comforting smile never leaving his lips. "This is your favorite book, right?"

"Y-yes," she stuttered. The ache in her skull continued, blistering and cutting, but feeling the rough, coarse cover gave her an anesthesia. "How did you know?"

"I asked Ruby. She said you really loved this book." Blake's fingers continued to stroke the corners of the book, quietly feeling the aged, weathered material against her fingertips. "I've been asking about all of you. I want to try and understand-"

"What's wrong with us?"

"No! God, no." He was quick to correct her, even as her gaze never lifted from the book. "I want to understand Ruby, and all of you. She said you were her family and that you were all a package deal." There was a momentary pause, his eyes widening as a playful smirk rose to meet him. "Er, not to say you guys are items or anything! You're people! Like me and Ruby!"

"We're not. We're figments of a broken, traumatized mind."

"No. You're Blake Belladonna." Her eyes widened at his words, and he could almost hear her heart race. Or maybe that was his. "And you're real to me." He pulled up the chair beside Blake and sat himself down on it, grinning still. "Can you tell me about the book?" Her fingers quietly slipped between the cover and the first page and she opened it. He saw a slight quiver in her hand as she stared at the opening passage.

"It... It's about a man with two souls. Neither of them are perfectly heroic, but neither are evil. They just want to survive..."

"Does it have a happy ending?"

"Not really. He dies in the end," answered Blake, with a meek shrug. "The two souls agree to sacrifice their lives to save one side's wife. The other has nothing to gain, other than knowing they've done the right thing. They die finally agreeing on something, after a whole life fighting for control, fighting for the right to live their own lives..."

"Sounds like a nice story," she heard him say. She just scoffed in response.

"Ruby and the others disagree... They find the story to be depressing," she muttered.

"And you don't?" She didn't answer, her eyes merely drifting back down to the book she seemed to cherish. He lifted a hand and placed it on her shoulder as he spoke. "Can you tell me why?" She glanced back up at him, staring at him as if he was the crazy one. Her eyes narrowed, trying to pick apart his smile. In the end, all she could saw was a genuine curiosity.

"You're... Why do you even care?" she asked, the edge and steel in her voice was clear, yet there was a genuine curiosity hidden behind it.

"My favorite author once said, 'We're all a little weird, and life's a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.'" The blonde noticed the alter's confused and befuddled expression, which just made his smile grow wider. "Blake, I don't care where you came from. I care about you just as much as I care about Ruby. You're just as much her as she is, but you're also, well, you. I know it all sounds weird, trust me, I do, but you know what? I don't care. All I want is to help you. I-"

"Dr. Seuss?"

"Huh?"

"You got that quote from Dr. Seuss." Her eyes were accusatory, and he suddenly felt like a rat being held up by his tail. The blonde let out a nervous chuckle, scratching his head as she chuckled at him.

"I... don't read as much as I probably should."

* * *

 _May 14th, 2012_

"You look gorgeous," he smiled. Yang wanted to roll her eyes at the compliment, but instead she just smiled and played with the man's collar.

"Compliments will get you everywhere, mister."

"There's only one place I want to go." His eyes dipped down, staring at her chest. "And I'm looking right at her."

"Oh, aren't you cute?" Yang almost pinched his cheeks, but his hand gently blocked her hands. "Well, as much as I love being complimented, this is supposed to be yours and Ruby's date. I'll just step out of the way and-"

"No. Stay." His voice laid on the edge between a command and a plea, but Yang tried not to think about it. She glanced at Adam with a raised, confused brow, before she spoke again.

"This is yours and Ruby's night, Adam. I'm not going to-" Something was wrong. Yang tried to enter back into the safe confines of their mindspace again. She was trying to let Ruby come out, but it wasn't working. She squeezed her eyes shut as she tried in vain to push her way back in, but it was like someone had locked the doors behind her. Her hands banged against the mental wall as Adam's arms stroked up her back.

She could feel her shirt rising, exposing her soft, unblemished skin. She could feel Adam's naked fingers drawing shapes into her sister's back as he leaned forward and bit into their neck. She tried to say something, she really did, but Yang felt like her lips weren't even hers anymore. Her eyes searched for answers, or even a chance for escape, as he leaned close to her ear.

"Blake, I want to see her smile. Can you do that for me?"

 _B-Blake...?_

Yang could feel her lips being pulled, like hooks had been forced into her mouth. They pulled at the corners of her lips, tugging and stretching them into an exaggerated, trembling smile. Yang's eyes darted back and forth as tears welled up in her eyes.

 _This isn't happening. This isn't happening!_

Yang was trapped in her sister's body. In a body that wasn't even hers, never hers. She was trapped, forced to smile and let a man touch her... their body. She felt Adam's hands take the hem of her shirt, pulling up on it to expose her belly and bra. He stared at her like a hunter's freshly killed prize, impaled on a stick and kept over a blazing fire. He licked his lips as his hands touched and pushed against her skin, uncaring about the small, whimpering protests Yang mustered up.

All she could do was smile as Adam touched Ruby's body.

 **END**

Hey! I'm not dead! And neither is this story! Whoo!

I just wanted to take another crack at the DID alternate universe. It was fun, last time, still kinda fun this time. So... Yeah. Yang here also had some arm-related pain brought on by Adam, who was Ruby's (and Blake and Yang's) ex-boyfriend. He was abusive. What an asshole.

Now, here's somethings to note. I will probably write more of this story beyond November. I'll just use it as a place to preview stories and test ideas. Exciting.

Oh, despite not posting 50,000 words, I have been writing that much. I am pretty sure I made my mark, or I'm close to. I'll count it all up sometime later tonight. So know that, kids.

Nothing else to add, I think. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if you have time, enjoy my other stories. I hear they're pretty good.

Have a good one! Take care, folks.


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